Book of Iron and Paper
by shirleyfries
Summary: A collection of stories based on the relationship of Gajeel and Levy. The stories can stand alone or be loosely related to one another. Chapters do not have to be read in numerical order so feel free to skip around. I do not own Fairy Tail.
1. Chapter 1: Birthday Party

Birthday Party

Today was Cana Alberona's nineteenth birthday.

In other words, the guild had another reason to throw a ridiculously wild party. Not that Fairy Tail needed an excuse to get drunk, fight, and destroy furniture but today, there was actually a legitimate reason to get drunk, fight, and destroy furniture.

Which was exactly what was happening as Gajeel Redfox sat on the stool at the bar, observing Natsu and Gray exchange fists. The iron dragon slayer would have usually joined the brawl by now but fighting two completely drunk idiots didn't seem quite appealing especially since Gajeel was still sober.

The guild was filled with yelling and cheering as Cana and Makarov engaged in yet another drinking contest. Gildarts stood next to his daughter, cheering her on as she tilted her head back to gulp out of a beer barrel that was bigger than the brunette.

Gajeel sat quietly by himself with a mug of ale in his hand. The dragon slayer was never one for huge parties and rarely ever got drunk thanks to his high tolerance to alcohol. Celebrations like this never took place back in Phantom Lord, and Gajeel found himself liking the crazy parties that seemed to occur every week. Although, Gajeel was never as festive as the rest of his guild mates, he often ended up getting into a drinking contest or two and sometimes pulled out his guitar for a song, much to the guild's protest.

The whole guild was chaos with over half the members drunk to their bones. Natsu and Gray were still at each other's throats, spitting drunken insults at each other. A very drunk and very angry Erza quickly got in between the boys and quite literally knocked the sense out of them, not that the two had any sense to begin with. Juvia sat happily in the corner, ogling Gray's exposed upper body. Lucy sat with Wendy and the white and blue Exceeds, rolling their eyes at the scene before them.

"Gajeel, why don't you go have some fun like everyone else?" Pantherlily sat on the bar table beside Gajeel with his little arms crossed.

"I am having fun," Gajeel said bluntly.

"Sitting at the bar and drinking doesn't count."

"Yeah well you're just sitting," Gajeel pointed out.

An audible sigh of annoyance could be heard as the black Exceed jumped down to the ground and walked away. Gajeel smirked and took a long gulp out of his mug. Somewhere on the other side of the guild, a loud laugh pierced through the air. Gajeel's sensitive ears picked up the noise immediately and recognized the sound as Levy's laugh. The slayer curiously turned his head and spotted her out of the crowd. Levy McGarden stood on top of a wooden table, a beer grasped in each of her hands. The bluenette was senselessly laughing and dancing to the non-existent music.

"Levy-chan!" Jet and Droy said in unison. "You're drunk, maybe you should get off the table!"

"But thissss is fuuunnnn," Levy slurred back and took a sip from the bottle in her hand. The solid script mage laughed at a silent joke and skipped around the table like a little girl. Going around in circles didn't serve her drunken state any good and she stopped as the dizziness hit her. Levy swayed as her foot stepped a little too far off the edge of the table and she dropped the beers as her body began to fall to the ground.

Gajeel prepared himself to catch her but before he could even stand up, Levy was swooped away from the floor by an unknown person. The man's face wasn't one that Gajeel recognized and he was instantly alarmed. Strangers did sometimes show up at the guild's parties and especially for Cana's parties in hopes of getting free alcohol.

Levy was still in the stranger's arms and Gajeel noticed how dangerously close his hand was to her bottom. A low growl emitted from Gajeel as he stood up.

"Looks like this little lady is drunk," the man mused as his dark eyes glinted. "I can take her somewhere with a bed so she can…rest."

The man turned to walk away in spite of Jet and Droy's protests. Levy tried to wiggle free, even as intoxicated as she was, she knew this man was bad news.

Gajeel was in front of the man before he could even take one step forward.

"Please get out of my way," the outsider spoke politely but his tone was threatening.

Gajeel wasn't one for words and instead of saying anything, he swung his fist, hitting the man square in the face and knocking him backwards. Levy slipped out of the stranger's arms as he flew unconsciously and Gajeel caught her in mid-air.

"I'm taking you home, shrimp."

Levy mumbled something in protest but didn't complain as Gajeel carried her out the guild door. Jet and Droy were too stunned to speak and their mouths were left hanging open. Lily grinned knowingly as his partner left.

"Um, how does he know where she lives?" Happy wondered.

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Gajeel walked through the doors to Fairy Hills with Levy in his arms and scrunched up his studded brows. The dragon slayer couldn't remember what room Levy lived in and there were too many different scents for him to trace hers hack to her room.

"Oi, shrimp." Gajeel gently shook her until she open her sleepy eyes. "Where's your room?"

"I think…" Levy trailed off as if she was thinking hard on something. "I don't know…"

"You don't know where your own room is!" Gajeel angrily exclaimed.

"I can't remember." Levy had stopped slurring her words but her voice was tired and soft.

Gajeel exhaled, he couldn't take her back to the guild or she might consume too much alcohol but he couldn't drop her off at a friend's place either since everyone was still partying. That means there was only one choice left.

Levy felt the chilling night air as they exited Fairy Hills and the bluenette was beginning to regret wearing her usual loose dress and sandals. The mage's brain was fuzzy and every time she moved, her surroundings became a blur. Levy could only feel the steady beat of Gajeel's walking and the heat radiating from where their skin touched. A warm sensation rose to her cheeks and Levy was grateful that Gajeel was looking straight ahead. She let her eyelids droop over her eyes as her head leaned against Gajeel's broad chest.

Gajeel tensed when he felt Levy's head against his chest. Levy's bare legs rested over his sleeveless arm and the contact made Gajeel's heart jump against his chest. Her soft, blue hair brushed against his naked arm, sending shivers up his spin.

A few minutes had gone by before Levy felt Gajeel slow to a stop and heard the creak of a door opening. Gajeel entered his dark house, not bothering to turn the light on as he made his way to his room. He blindly walked toward his bed and set Levy on top of the mattress. Gajeel rummaged for his lighter and lit the candle beside his bed.

"You can sleep here tonight," he grumbled and quickly fled the room, shutting the door behind him. Happy's voice suddenly spoke in his head, _you're embarrasssssseddd._ Gajeel mentally told the annoying cat to shut up as he set up his bed on the couch.

Back in Gajeel's room, Levy stepped out of her shoes and crawled under the blanket. Her heart pounded in her chest as she thought to herself, _I am sleeping in Gajeel Redfox's bed. _Levy laid her head on the single pillow on his bed that smelled of something distinctly male and distinctly Gajeel. The lone candle provided little light for Levy to look at his room. Gajeel's wooden walls were bare except for the cluster of ripped-out newspaper articles taped in the corner. Levy squinted her eyes and realized that they were reports of dragon sightings. She quickly looked away, knowing that wasn't something for her eyes.

The thin blanket did little to keep her warm and Levy soon found herself curling up into a ball. Levy thought about asking Gajeel if he had another blanket but doubted that would do any good plus she didn't think the dragon slayer had heating in his house. Moments passed and Levy couldn't take it anymore, she couldn't possibly fall asleep in this cold.

Levy's voice called through the silence. "Gajeel!"

Gajeel burst through the door in seconds, wearing loose pants and a sleeveless t-shirt. "What?"

"It's really cold…" Levy trailed off, not sure of what she expected him to do.

Gajeel stood at the doorway in silence with a blank stare. An awkward silence resulted and Levy stared down at her hands fiddled with the edge of the blanket. Gajeel slowly walked toward her and blew out the candle. Levy looked up into the darkness with surprise, before she could ask what he was going to do, she felt the bed tilt as Gajeel put his weight on it. She was stunned into silence as his arms circled around her, pulling her towards him until she was against his chest. Levy's heart raced as Gajeel laid on the bed with her encircled in his muscled arms. Her face felt hot and she didn't know what to do until she decided to take a dare. Levy slowly lifted an arm and carefully draped it over Gajeel's large torso and relaxed her body, letting herself sink against him.

"Goodnight, Gajeel," Levy whispered.

"'Night, shrimp," Gajeel grunted.

It was definitely warmer now.


	2. Chapter 2: Carnival

Carnival

Dragon slayers and carnivals did not mix at all. It was like eating ketchup with ice cream, the combination just didn't go and often resulted in throwing up. Regardless of this fact, the three dragon slayers of Fairy Tail were dragged along to the biggest carnival in Fiore anyways.

Gajeel cursed under his breath as he walked the cobble stone sidewalk with Pantherlily by his side. He had never envied the blue-haired dragon slayer walking in front of him so much before; even more than he envied her when he noticed he didn't have an Exceed as a partner. Wendy had not yet been motion sick before, and she might never be thanks to her magical abilities. Gajeel had considered asking the young dragon slayer to cast troia on him but quickly brushed the thought aside; he didn't want to waste troia on petty carnival rides.

The guild walked as a loose pack through the maze of Magnolia's annual carnival. The streets were lined with booths for games and stands for food. Strings of lights illuminated the night sky with a golden color. Screams and laughs could be heard in the distance as the thundering roller coasters plunged and twisted.

Gajeel watched as Evergreen dragged Elfman by the ear into a section of the carnival called Fairy Land. Elfman shouted out a jumble of complaints about doing manly things but failed to escape.

"Lu-chan!" Levy shouted. "Let's go on the Ferris wheel!"

The blonde happily agreed and the duo eagerly got in line for the gigantic wheel. Gajeel huffed in annoyance; there wasn't anything for him to do here. The iron dragon slayer just wasn't a carnival type of guy. There was no fighting and the food was overpriced. Gajeel decided to quietly slip away, knowing nobody would notice his absence.

As Gajeel turned to go home, a voice called out, "Oi, Metalhead!"

Gajeel turned angrily at the sound of Natsu's voice and growled, "What?"

The pink haired dragon slayer casually leaned against a booth with a smirk planted on his face and gestured toward the dart game set up in the booth.

"I ain't playing some kid game." Gajeel snorted and turned to leave. "Ask the stripper."

"I think Juvia kidnapped him but are you scared cause I'll beat you?" Natsu sniggered.

Gajeel froze in his tracks and was in front of the booth in a mere second, slamming some jewels on the counter before snatching up the darts. "You're on, Flamebrain!"

The old man in charge of the game ducked out of the way as both dragon slayers started to fling sharp darts at the colorful assortment of balloons.

"Oh my, Gajeel sure is easily provoked," Mirajane commented at the scene before her.

"Those two would compete over anything," Lisanna agreed. The Strauss sisters watched as Natsu and Gajeel yelled in anger when they found out they had both popped the same amount of balloons. The two moved to the next booth, angrily tossing rings at bottles.

Soon enough every booth the two dragon slayers visited were left damaged in some way. Natsu and Gajeel wreaked havoc by either burning down or crushing booths to smithereens with their harsh strength.

"Master's not going to be happy when he gets the bills," Mira sighed and her sister nodded in agreement.

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Levy's blue hair was a blown up mess once she got off the roller coaster. Her and Lucy had gotten on almost every ride the carnival had to offer and their adrenaline rush was starting to die down.

"We should head back," Lucy suggested. "I think they're closing down soon."

Levy nodded as they started to walk. "That was really fun. Magnolia should have more carnivals!"

"Yeah!" Lucy agreed. "Too bad Natsu can't go on the rides, he would've really like it."

"Or you just want to go on a ride with Natsu." Levy raised an eyebrow.

"Well, yeah but not in the way you're thinking," Lucy protested. "He's my friend and I want him to have fun."

"Sure," Levy said, unconvinced.

The blonde and bluenette's eyes widen as they approached the entrance. Everything was a mess. Booths were smashed to the ground and random toys littered the streets in mounds.

"What happened here?" Both girls exclaimed.

"It seems that Natsu and Gajeel got a little too competitive." Mira appeared next to them.

"Those idiots…" Gray sighed as he walked over with Juvia locked on his arm.

"Where did they go?" Lisanna asked. Everyone stood in silence as they all drew a blank.

"We should go find them before they cause more trouble," Lucy advised.

The mages split up and called out the dragon slayers' names. Levy carefully walked over the debris as she searched for Gajeel. She took every corner and called out his name. Finally she noticed his long dark hair as he leaned against the only booth left standing.

"There you are!" Levy cheered as she saw him.

Gajeel abruptly turned around and shoved something in the girl's face. Levy blinked at the object in front of her. It was an enormous teddy bear that stood taller than her with blue fur the color of her hair.

The solid script mage looked at it in confusion. "What-"

"Just take it." Gajeel cut off her question. Levy curiously glanced at his face, taking note of the red tinting his cheeks and ears. The bluenette came to the conclusion that he must have won it and she gladly took the stuffed animal from his outstretched hand, quietly thanking him.

The two walked side by side back to the entrance where their friends waited. A comfortable silence filled the air as Levy walked with the oversized bear hugged in her arms. Gajeel had his arms crossed against his chest, glancing at the smiling girl beside him when she wasn't looking.

As the two approached their guild mates, the conversations slowly became quiet as knowing grins spread across their faces as they watched the bookworm walk with a teddy bear in her arms and a smile on her face beside the blushing dragon slayer.

* * *

A\N: I meant to put an author's note on chapter one but I was in such a hurry to post it I forgot. Anyways, I just wanted to say that this is the first fanfic that I've ever posted so please excuse any out of character-ness. I'm a huge fan of Gajeel and Levy as a couple and I think they're adorable. I hope you like it! Reviews and constructive criticism are welcome!


	3. Chapter 3: Prank War

Prank War

Fairy Tail had erupted into a full blown war.

It had started a week ago, during one of Natsu and Gray's daily fights. Gray had decided it would be fun to pour ten buckets of ice cold water on Natsu when he walked through the guild doors. The fire dragon slayer was immediately drenched the moment he stepped into the guild as the freezing water soaked him from head to toe.

Unfortunately, due to the large amount of water that ten buckets could hold, everyone standing near Natsu got splashed with the icy water. To Gray's horror, Erza was one of those people. Thanks to Erza's magic, she was able to change out of her wet clothes in an instant, but unfortunately for Gray, she had changed into her Purgatory Armor with an angry glare on her face.

The ice mage trembled in fear when he recalled Erza saying nobody had seen the armor and lived to tell it. But before Erza could do more than just glare, Natsu had tackled Gray, sending flaming fists at his face. Erza had soon joined the brawl, swinging her spiky mace and knocking both the boys to the ground. The redhead had angrily announced that she would get her revenge for her ruined clothes but before she could pulverize the boys, the Master had walked in, much to Natsu and Gray's relief.

Master Makarov had laughed at the scene in front of him and explained to the confused faces that he had been quite the prankster back in his day and Gray's joke had reminded him how fun it used to be. Laxus had rolled his eyes at his grandfather, thinking that the old man had finally lost his marbles.

That's when some mage in the crowd had suggested on having a prank war and the guild lit up at the idea. Master Makarov had appointed himself as the judge, saying he was much too old for pranks, adding to the suspicions of the Master just trying to get an easy way out.

When the question of making teams came up, Makarov had suggested the old fashioned boys versus girls, much to Lucy's disapproval. It was decided then that whichever side gives up first will lose and would have to do whatever the winners tell them to do for a whole week. Natsu was one of the first to agree, with the rest of the guild reluctantly accepting the challenge after him.

One week had passed since the so called war had begun and everyone who bothered to show up at the guild was always on full alert. With the prank war going on, less than half of Fairy Tail's mages populated the guild during the day in fear of being pranked. Bisca and Alzack decided to depart onto a family vacation as an excuse to not participate on opposite sides. Laxus had taken a two week long job and others followed his lead to escape the oncoming pranks. The mages who didn't want to get caught in any traps chose to stay home until there was a winner. That only left few people who were brave enough to enter the guild.

The main contenders were Natsu and Gray who decided they would win first before Natsu would get his revenge for the ice water joke. The two had been careful with Erza, choosing to prank anyone but her because no prank was worth going through the wrath of Titania.

They became quite proud whenever a prank came out successful and soon enough, pranks were to be expected from the two rivals every day. One day, Gray had added an absurd amount of muscle relaxing cream to Evergreen's lip balm, causing her lips to numb and her speech coming out garbled. Natsu had plastic-wrapped Lucy's toilet and fell down laughing when he heard the surprised shriek from outside her apartment when the blonde went to use the bathroom. One unknown brave soul even teepeed the inside of Erza's apartment with toilet paper.

The girls had started off weak with Lucy attempting to prank Gray by putting a red sock in his laundry but the ice maker easily solved the problem by stripping out of his stained clothes which made Juvia literally melt then accuse Lucy of purposely trying to get Gray to strip. The girls quickly recovered from the failed prank by stealing the boys' toothbrushes to clean the toilets and watched as they unknowingly brushed their teeth the next morning. Evergreen had discovered Elfman's weakness when she filled his bedroom with fake rats and recorded the very unmanly scream that he had let out.

Days went by as the girls endured the waves of pranks the guys kept bringing, patiently waiting for the prank that took them days to prepare. Mirajane, being an excellent cook, had made several dozen delicious burritos and served it with a huge smile on her face. Because of her kind personality, no one had any suspicions about her participating in the pranks and ate the food as if they were starving.

"Oi, Mira, could I have a beer to wash these down?" Macao asked. Mira smiled as she handed out beers to her customers.

The girls sat at a table near the bar, secretly watching the boys as they finished the burritos with a somewhat devilish grin playing on their lips. Twenty minutes passed slowly until the girls finally got the result they planned for. Stomachs started to grumble uneasily and pained expressions slowly took over every burrito-eater's face.

Gray quickly excused himself from the bar, saying he had to use the bathroom. Minutes later, Natsu was pounding on the bathroom door with a hand clutching his stomach as he yelled for Gray to get out and a line of complaining men started to form behind Natsu.

"My stomach…"

"Need…to use…the bathroom…"

"Gray, hurry up!"

"WHERE IS THE DAMN TOILET PAPER?"

The girls could no longer keep in their laughs when they heard Gray's yell from the bathroom.

"What did you do?" Elfman asked angrily. The girls were still laughing too hard with tears brimming their eyes to properly answer the question.

From the corner of the bar, Gajeel sighed and finally spoke up. "There were laxatives in the beer, you idiots."

"How do you know?" Natsu demanded.

"I could smell it from here, Flamebrain," Gajeel grumbled.

"I didn't-" Natsu started to object but Gajeel interrupted.

"Cause you're too dumb to bother."

"Screw this," Bixlow cursed. "I'm using the bathroom in that restaurant across the street."

An evil grin spread across Lucy's face. "Too late, we took all the toilet paper from all the bathrooms near Fairy Tail."

The men glared and swore for revenge.

And a few days later, they got it.

The girls had all decided to celebrate their success by going to the large bath area in Fairy Hills to relax in the hot water. It turned out to be a huge mistake. They were too caught up in the comforting warmth of the water to realize that they were letting down their guard too soon.

The peaceful moment only lasted for mere minutes before the door and vents burst open and flooded the whole bathing room with mud. After the waves of mud ceased, the girls stood in shoulder-high sludge, with an incredulous look on their faces. A cackle could be heard through the vent in the ceiling and a chorus of male laughs soon joined in.

"Enjoy the mud bath, ladies!" Gray shouted through the open vent.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Levy sat by herself in an empty guild, she had arrived earlier than usual but had not expected the guild to be _completely _empty. The silence that hung in the guild felt foreign and Levy decided to take advantage of the once in a life time opportunity and pulled out a book to read.

Fairy Tail had never known this kind of silence but since everyone was forced to clean up the bathing area in Fairy Hills, everyone was busy today. Levy chose not to participate in the little competition since she wasn't much of a prankster and the boys didn't really seem to target her. Jet and Droy chose to stay home for the duration of the prank war and invited Levy over but she had politely declined.

Several minutes passed before Levy heard the squeak of the door opening. The bookworm paused mid-sentence and looked up as Gajeel walked past her. She watched as he walked behind the bar, pulled out a mug and a bottle, poured himself a drink, and sat down in his usual corner on the bar stool.

"Stop starin'," Gajeel grunted without looking at her. "It's creepy."

Levy's cheeks warmed as she got caught and she mumbled, "S-sorry."

"What are you doing here?" Levy decided to ask in hopes of maybe coaxing the dragon slayer into a conversation.

"Wasn't a part of that prank," he explained. Levy quietly sighed to herself and gave up trying to communicate with Gajeel; he was never good at keeping a conversation going.

The solid script mage dove back into her novel and immediately entered a whole other world in her mind. Gajeel remained seated at his spot, taking small sips from his mug. The dragon slayer turned his body ever so slightly so he could glance at her from his peripheral vision. Levy was captivated by the book she held in her hands, her face was focused but she was relaxed.

Gajeel's eyes moved to stare at the wall in front of him and decided to try a little experiment. He tapped his fingers on the wooden counter, making a small beat but Levy paid no attention to it. Gajeel increased the rhythm and tapped his foot on the floor.

Still nothing.

He should've realized nothing could tear that bookworm away from her book. Gajeel considered taking a job, he did need the money, and there was nothing to do here anyways. A small part in the back of his mind prevented him. Gajeel didn't understand it, but he didn't want to leave the bluenette all by herself even though she was fully occupied. He brushed the thought aside and decided to stay.

The iron dragon slayer continued to sip from his mug and listened to the silence and occasional sound of a page turning. After he finished three mugs of ale, Gajeel found himself drifting and his eyelids getting heavier and heavier. He laid his head on his arm and let himself take a little nap to pass the time.

A soft snore brought Levy back into the real world and she lifted her head up to search for the noise. She immediately saw Gajeel with his head resting on his forearm, although she couldn't see his face, she knew he was fast asleep. An hour or so may have passed and Levy guessed he had gotten bored and drifted off. Levy quietly laughed to herself, she had never seen Gajeel so relaxed and she found it fascinating and maybe even a little cute.

Before Levy could talk herself out of it, her feet carried her away from the table and towards the dragon slayer. She found herself standing behind him, staring at his back. Even through the material of his usual sleeveless tunic, Levy could see the ridges of his back muscles. Most of his back was covered by the black mess he called hair and Levy couldn't help but feel the temptation to touch it.

She hesitated, thinking of all the things that could go wrong. Levy would die of embarrassment if she was caught with her hands in his hair. An idea suddenly formed in her head and she almost giggled as she thought it through. Levy had never pranked anyone before but the image of Gajeel's reaction pushed her even more.

Levy had always had short hair, she tried to grow it out but it took forever and eventually her patience would run out and she would get it cut. The bluenette always envied Erza and Cana's long locks and even Evergreen's wavy hair. Her hairstyles were limited due to her short hair and Levy always ended up pulling it out of her face with her favorite yellow headband.

Carefully, Levy reached up and stroked the spiky hair. Gajeel's hair was softer than she had expected it to be, she would have to ask him if he used conditioner later. His thick mane was tangled and messy and Levy's fingers acted as a comb as her hands ran through his hair. After she untangled the top of his hair, her hands reached under the thick layers and slowly brushed down. Levy's cheeks were painted a deeper red each time her hands touched the warm skin on the back of his neck and slid down his back.

After she was satisfied, Levy separated his hair down the middle into two even sections. She then wove each section down his back and tied it off with the bows she had made from her solid script magic. Levy took a step back and admired her work but something was still missing…

Levy frowned and pursed her lips. A brilliant idea came to her and she untied her headband from behind her head, letting her blue hair cover her forehead. Levy gently covered the top of his head with it, like the many times she has done it on her own head, and tied it firmly under his ears. She stood back again, and failed to keep a giggle from escaping her mouth.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Gajeel had woken up the moment her hands touched his hair. He had never bothered to do more than just wash his untamed mane, resulting in its spiky appearance. His skin tingled whenever her fingers ran through his tresses and his spine shivered when her hands touched his neck and made a trail down his back.

Gajeel didn't know what she was doing or why but he didn't stop her. He held back a shudder every time Levy gently pulled at his hair, feeling tiny tingles spreading in his scalp. Gajeel was disappointed when she stopped but he let her continue on with whatever she planned to do.

The cool air touched his neck as she split his hair and wove his thick strands down his back. _Is she doing my hair?_ Gajeel made a face at the table. Levy's hands had left his hair for a moment and returned to wrap a long piece of fabric on the top of his head, securing it with a tight knot. He heard her giggle as she stepped back and he decided that it would be smart to "wake up" now, just in case she wouldn't get ideas of doing his make up or anything.

Levy watched as Gajeel shifted his body and lifted his head off the table; he took a second to look at the two long braids hanging from his head and touched her headband on top of his head.

Slowly, he turned to look at her with a dark scowl.

Levy downright laughed as Gajeel glared at her. "You look cute."

A light pink dyed his cheeks, contrasting with the frown on his face. Gajeel stared at Levy's dazzling smile, her laugh the only sound in the entire guild.

"No one hears about this, got it?" He failed at trying to sound threatening and instead proceeded to tug the bows from his hair.

Levy sighed and agreed, still giggling at the sight in front of her. Gajeel looked like a very large and very angry little girl. She stepped forward and eased his rough hands away from the bows and untied them, returning his mane back to its normal shape.

Gajeel reached behind his head and undid the yellow headband, slipping it out of his hair. Instead of handing Levy the piece of cloth, he looped it on her forehead, slowly pushing back the stray hairs that had fallen back over her head but leaving the two blue locks that always framed her face. His large hands reached the back of her neck and his fingers brushed against her skin as he tied the knot, making Levy's cheeks redden. Gajeel reluctantly pulled his hands away and smirked at her blushing face.

Maybe he should pretend to sleep more often.

* * *

The first half was kind of just for fun, not a lot of GaLe action but I hope you still enjoyed it.


	4. Chapter 4: Safety Blanket

Safety Blanket

Erza walked through the bustling streets of Magnolia with a light bounce in her step. She dragged a mountain of grocery bags behind her in a large wooden cart. The redhead had picked the food aisles clean, purchasing every type of food that qualified under the snack category. The event that had been planned was a girls' movie night but soon turned into the whole guild joining in. A night full of chick flicks and chocolate quickly developed into a night full of unhealthy snacks and horror movies.

It was decided that Erza's apartment was best suited for the night because of its gigantic size and she had appointed herself as the official host. The requip mage was fine with that, she enjoyed the company of her friends even if they got on her nerves most of the time.

Erza reached Fairy Hills within a few minutes, lugging the cart up the stairs until she finally got into her room. There were still hours until people would start showing up, giving her enough time to set out the food and move precious objects out of harm's way. Not being one to procrastinate, Erza immediately got to work and patiently waited for her guests to arrive.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Gathering the guild into one single place often guaranteed some form of partying and that was exactly what happened when the guests poured into Erza's apartment. For hours on end, there was cheering, laughing, and drunken bets being made but the lively atmosphere started to die down as the time ticked closer to midnight. Some mages decided to leave but most chose to stay for the horror movie marathon that was about to commence.

"Okay, everyone find a comfy spot in the living room," Erza announced as she grabbed a stack of DVDs.

"Which one should we watch first?" Mirajane asked.

"I don't see why we need to watch scary movies," Lucy sighed. "We could watch something happy or funny."

"A real man is not afraid of movies!" Elfman exclaimed.

"I'm not a man!" Lucy argued.

"Enough," Erza's commanded. "We'll just start with the first one on the stack."

The scarlet haired mage picked the DVD on top of the pile and revealed the cover of a little girl leaving a trail of blood on the wall behind her, the red drops formed a disturbing image of a face on the wall. The word Sinister was written in creepy black letters above the face, indicating the title of the movie.

The remaining guild members made themselves comfortable in the nest of blankets and pillows scattered over the living room floor as Erza prepared the movie. An eager silence took place as Erza flicked the lights off and took a seat next to her team.

The lacrima screen casted a light glow as the movie started, showing a group of kids with sacks covering their heads as they hung on ropes from the branch of a tree.

"That's creepy," Happy shuddered and was shushed by the rest of the room. The film started out by introducing the main characters of a man who dedicated his life to writing about crimes and his wife and kids. The beginning was rather boring, only showing the family moving into a new, mysterious house (typical).

Several minutes had passed by and Levy found herself wrapping the soft blanket she had tighter and tighter around her body. The movie was starting to get scarier by the second and the little bluenette cringed every time a creepy scene popped up or when somebody was brutally murdered.

Levy quickly surveyed the dark room, wanting to take her eyes off the screen for a moment. Natsu and Gray were cowering behind Lucy, using the blonde to shield them from the screen. Lucy hid behind a completely calm faced Erza who watched the movie as if it was the news. To the left of the odd conga line was Elfman who was curled up into a giant ball beside his sisters, and awkwardly hugging a pillow in his gigantic arms. Cana was draped over a large pillow, passed out with a bottle of some alcoholic beverage still in her hand. Levy took note that some people who were present at the beginning of the movie was no longer in the room such as Jet, Droy, Wendy, and Charle.

Levy considered going back to her room, it was in the same building so she didn't have to worry about walking home at such a late time. She pushed the thought away after contemplating in her head, Levy wanted to show she was mature enough to handle something like this, it was just a movie after all. The bluenette looked around her once again, if her friends could take it, she could too. The second time her eyes wandered away from the screen, Levy caught sight of someone who she hadn't before.

A certain iron dragon slayer sat inches away from Levy. Gajeel was casually leaning against the giant cushions that were place around the room, he had one leg bent and one stretched out in front of him. Like Erza, his expression was composed and maybe even a little bored. Levy wondered how she hadn't noticed the large man who hadn't been sitting where he currently was moments ago. She gave up thinking about it and resumed watching the movie.

That had turned out into a terrifying mistake.

The movie was quiet and the main character stood in a hallway as dark as the living room, and the usual suspenseful music softly played in the background. Seconds later a screaming human popped out of the cardboard box the character was approaching, frightening Levy out of her wits. Her body jumped as the actor's scream pierced the silence air, and her reflex took over Levy's control over her body. Her arms sprang out in search of the nearest object she could reach and hugged it close to her as if it was a safety blanket.

Only her arms hadn't found an object and instead landed on Gajeel.

Levy surprised herself as her arms firmly latched around his torso, her face buried in his side. She hadn't realized her panicked jump eliminated the small distance between them and she was immediately flushed with embarrassment. Levy was relieved that she wasn't the only one who reacted this way at the jump scare. Elfman had a blanket covering every inch of his body except his frightened eyes and his sisters desperately tried to calm him down. Natsu, Gray, and Lucy were all using Erza as protection by ducking behind her. The only ones who weren't affected by the scare was Erza, Gajeel, and Cana who was still fast asleep.

Levy felt Gajeel's hard body tense in her arms. The darkness hid her red cheeks as she noticed their position. Her body was flush against his, and she could feel the warmth that radiated off his skin to the soft rise and fall of his chest with each breath he took. The blanket that Levy had wrapped around herself was still gripped in her hands and was now covering Gajeel as well as herself.

Gajeel hadn't expected the sudden embrace and his heart leaped and dived when the bluenette wrapped her arms around him and pressed her body against his own. He knew it was because she was scared but a part of him took pleasure in the fact that her reflex was to hold onto him. Gajeel relished the feeling of Levy's body pressed against him and relaxed against her.

Unlike what Levy predicted him to do, Gajeel did not push her away. Instead, she felt his tense body ease. Levy relaxed her own grip just a little, but still held on enough so she could feel the muscles underneath his shirt.

Levy had to admit, she enjoyed this.

Levy's chest filled up with a heat that rose to her cheeks when she heard the low chuckle that Gajeel had let out. Thankfully, no one else in the room heard to bother to glance at the pair. Gajeel slowly shifted his arm and pulled it out from Levy's hold. Levy had suspected that he wanted more room to himself but her prediction was proven wrong yet again as his arm moved behind her and slid under the blanket.

Levy's spin shivered with delight as he slowly ran his hand down her back until it reached her waist. The single arm wrapped around her and pulled her body closer than it already was, almost squishing Levy against him. Her head now rested on his chest and she sighed with satisfaction.

The movie no longer held the attention of Levy and Gajeel. The two were completely lost inside their own little world, reveling in each other's warmth and sinking deeper and deeper into each other's arms.

* * *

Ahhhhh. They're too cute. Please share your thoughts on the stories so far by reviewing or PM. If you have any ideas that you would like to see happen, let me know! Thanks to all the people who favorited, reviewed, and followed!


	5. Chapter 5: Ice Cream

Ice Cream

Drops of sweat ran from Gajeel's hairline and followed the path down his face until it dripped from the tip of his nose. His arms pushed his body away from the grassy ground and lowered it back down, just to repeat the process over again.

The afternoon sun was unusually hot but Gajeel didn't use the heat as a petty excuse to get out of exercising. He was in a secluded clearing within the East Forest, where he often trained in privacy, away from all distractions and noises.

Pantherlily usually joined the dragon slayer on days like this, but the Exceed had chosen to work on his swordsmanship with Erza on this particular day. Gajeel enjoyed the solitude, not that he didn't like the company of his cat or his guild, but his rambunctious guild could reach noise levels that he would rather not put his ears through.

After several sets of push-ups Gajeel switched his position until he was lying flat on his back with his knees bent towards the sky and commenced his sit-ups. The muscles in his stomach tightened and stretched as he lifted his upper body off the ground, accompanied with his controlled breaths. The beads of sweat sliding down the sides of his face only increased as the sun rose higher and higher in the blue sky.

Gajeel closed his eyes in concentration, entirely focused on the task at hand, ignoring the silent complains of his muscles, and instead inhaled the scent of the woodsy air. His nose soon picked up the intruding scent the soft breeze had carried with it. He paid no mind to it, figuring that it would be some random hiker or fisherman, but the scent kept getting stronger until his nose could recognize the familiar fruity smell that belonged to the one and only Levy McGarden.

"Gajeel!" Levy's musical voice rang through the air as she spotted the iron dragon slayer. Gajeel cracked a curious eye open to look at the girl just standing a few feet in front of him, but continued his exercise. He took note of the color in her cheeks, her laborious breaths, and the hint of sweat mixed in her scent. The bluenette's attire of a plain shirt, loose shorts, and running shoes had proved that Levy had the same plans as Gajeel today.

Gajeel grunted an unintelligible greeting and closed his eye before she caught him staring. Levy stood awkwardly in front of her guild mate, unsure of how to start a conversation, forming words in her mouth suddenly became a difficult task as she got a closer view of Gajeel.

Levy's imagination ran wild as her eyes took in the sight of Gajeel lying shirtless on the ground. Anyone with eyes knew that Gajeel Redfox was a very well built man, his usual sleeveless outfit revealed more than enough arm muscle to prove that fact but as Levy's eyes traveled down his broad chest, training on the flexing muscles of his stomach and more than just noticed the defined V along his hips, she couldn't help but gawk. As if to feed her already out-of-control imagination, she just had to notice the glistening sweat that covered most of his exposed skin.

"Like what you see?" Gajeel's red eyes were now fixated on Levy, a cocky smirk forming on his lips. Levy audibly gulped at his question. She had thought her face was warm before, now it felt as if her face had erupted into flames so hot even Natsu would've been impressed.

Levy blinked at the mage before her, desperately searching for a response so she wouldn't make a fool of herself more than she already had. Gajeel shifted his body until he propped himself up with his elbows, amused by the flustered bluenette standing in front of him.

"N-nothing unexpected," Levy managed to stutter out. It took her mere seconds before she realized she had probably just fed more air to his already inflated ego. She had meant to sound unimpressed but for some reason, her brain refused to function properly when in the presence of a half-naked man. Levy silently cursed in her mind, she had believed herself to be immune to this kind of sight, thanks to the years growing up with Gray, but Gray was definitely not Gajeel.

Gajeel's smirk grew wider at the unintended compliment. Since he was in such a good mood, Gajeel decided to release Levy out of her suffering.

"What are you doin' here, Shorty?"

"Since it's such a nice day out, I thought I would go outside and get some exercise," Levy explained.

"You don't need to lose weight, already scrawny enough," he teased.

Levy rolled her eyes. "I don't care about appearance, I care about health."

"Sure looked like you care about appearance a few moments ago." Gajeel's smirk reformed at the sight of Levy's growing blush.

"Will you please put on a shirt?" Levy demanded, trying hard not to look at Gajeel as he stood up.

"No," Gajeel refused with a grin, taking pleasure at annoying Levy. "It's too hot."

"Maybe you should cool down then…" Levy smiled mischievously and quickly cast the bubbly words spelling WATER above the dragon slayer's head. Before Gajeel could react, the magical letters exploded into a mini waterfall and drenched him from head to toe.

Levy laughed at the soaked dragon slayer standing before her. Gajeel growled a series of curse words and angrily closed the space between him and the bluenette. Levy's laughter ceased when Gajeel's arm wrapped around her and effortlessly tossed her over his shoulder.

"What are you-?" Levy's question was cut off when Gajeel took off in a sprint towards the lake he knew was close by and threw the screaming girl in the water with no hesitation.

Levy flailed in the water and managed to scream, "Gajeel, I can't swim!"

"Shit, should've fucking-" Gajeel interrupted his own sentence and dived into the water, swimming until he lifted Levy's head out of the water.

The next thing that happened caught the usually alert dragon slayer completely off guard.

"Just kidding!" Levy laughed and relentlessly sent huge splashes of water at Gajeel's face.

Gajeel yelled in annoyance and caught Levy's wrists before he could get splashed even more. "That ain't funny, Shrimp!"

"Serves you right for throwing me in the water without thinking!" Levy retorted.

Gajeel grunted in defeat. She was right, if she really hadn't known how to swim, she could've gotten hurt, and Gajeel cursed himself for not thinking about that.

"Fine, whatever," he grumbled. "How can I make it up to you?"

If Levy hadn't known better, she would've thought that the iron dragon slayer was embarrassed.

The solid script mage placed her index finger on her chin, letting out a, "Hmm…" as she thought.

"I ain't gonna be your slave or dress up if that's what you're thinking," Gajeel growled.

"But you would look so good in a dress!" Levy teased and giggled when the image of a grumpy Gajeel dressed up in a pink, frilly dress popped up in her head.

Gajeel glared at her.

"Fine," Levy sighed, knowing this was Gajeel's own way of apologizing. "How about you buy me ice cream?"

Gajeel grunted in agreement and the pair waded back to the shore. They paused when they got out of the water, Gajeel had to dump the water out of his boots and squeeze the excess water out of his long hair, restoring it to its normal shape. As he did that, he pretended not to notice Levy peeling off her dripping shirt, momentarily exposing the sports bra she wore underneath along with her toned tummy (which did nothing to suppress the inappropriate scenarios from forming in his head), and wringing it out before putting it back on.

_Tch, so modest, _Gajeel thought to himself. Although he did admit he would rather not have her walk through town with all eyes on her shirtless body.

Silently, they made the trek back into town, the blazing sun lessening the wetness of their clothes. The streets were filled as they searched for an ice cream stand. Luckily, being in the middle of summer guaranteed plenty of frozen treats being sold.

Levy had soon spotted an old man selling ice cream from a little stand in the crowd and grabbed Gajeel's wrist as she made her way towards the stand. After minutes of contemplating and Gajeel's impatient mutters, Levy had decided to get the vanilla cone. Gajeel paid the vendor way too many jewels than he thought the single cone of ice cream was worth but did so without complaint.

The two walked side by side in the direction of their guild and Gajeel couldn't help but sneak glances at the small bluenette beside him. She was happily enjoying her treat, licking the creamy substance in a way that made certain scenarios resurface in his mind. Gajeel forced his eyes to look in front of him, trying to ignore the images his brain kept conjuring.

Levy's soft voice interrupted his inner battle. "Want some?"

She held out the cone towards him but he violently shook his head, much to Levy's confusion but she shrugged it off.

Several minutes later, the two mages finally arrived at Fairy Tail, pushing the doors open, a sea of questioning stares and knowing smirks were directed at a soaking wet Levy and a still shirtless Gajeel.

* * *

Thanks for the reviews! It's such a great feeling knowing that other people out there enjoy my stories. I start school in a week so I probably won't be able to update as frequently :( but don't worry I'll still write but most of my time will probably be consumed with homework.


	6. Chapter 6: Being Sick Sucks Period

Being Sick Sucks. Period.

Gajeel sat at his usual place at the bar, indifferent to the rowdy background noise as he mentally struggled to make a list of reasons why she wasn't at the guild today. Or the day before. Maybe she was having one of those days, where a break from the wild atmosphere of Fairy Tail was needed. Or she wanted a quiet place to read her books and decipher some ancient language. Gajeel considered the slim chance that she could've gone on a solo job, and he quickly scanned the room to make sure her two cheerleaders were present. It wasn't like her to run off on her own, and even if she had left alone, Gajeel was sure that her followers would be worrying their hair out, but by the light mood that they were currently displaying, he started to doubt that she had even left town.

The worst case scenarios started to play out vividly in his head and Gajeel stiffened in his seat. What if she had gotten into some sort of trouble and had no way of contacting anyone for help? Or had somehow managed to hurt herself, knowing how clumsy she could get. Her room did border between slightly unsafe and outright hazardous with unstable towers of books that could topple over with the slightest touch and the mess of scattered hard covers on the floor with sharp, pointy edges that no book should have. Or some intoxicated idiot could have-

"Stop worrying," Lily interrupted his thoughts. "She's probably fine."

"I don't know what you're talkin' about," Gajeel denied, giving his cat an annoyed look.

"You mean you're not thinking about why a certain blue-haired bookworm hasn't shown up yet?" Lily raised an inquiring eyebrow.

Gajeel mentally cursed his cat for being able to read him so easily. "What makes you think I was thinkin' about that?"

"For starters, you look like a paranoid mom," Lily stated.

"I don't-"

Lily cut him off with a wave of his paw. "And you keep looking at the door every minute as if you're waiting for someone."

Gajeel glared at his cat for noticing something that he wasn't even aware that he had been doing.

Unable to come up with a witty comeback, Gajeel just grunted, "Shaddup."

As if she was listening to the conversation the whole time, Mirajane sauntered over with a smile on her face, absentmindedly polishing an already squeaky clean glass. "Don't worry about Levy, she told me she wasn't feeling well yesterday."

Gajeel's ears almost perked up at that but he hid the relief before anyone could notice. "I wasn't worried."

"Maybe you should go check on her," Lily suggested while exchanging the briefest look with Mira, as if they both knew something Gajeel didn't.

Gajeel frowned. "Why would I do that?"

"Because you're wor-"

"I ain't worried!" Gajeel nearly yelled, causing curious faces to turn towards the trio at the bar.

"I think it's a good idea," Mirajane added. The barmaid reached under the counter top and set a white plastic bag on the table. "I made some soup, why don't you bring it to her and see if she's doing alright?"

Gajeel scowled. "I ain't some delivery boy."

Mira sighed and said in a defeated tone, "Fine…I guess I'll have Jet and Droy do it."

Gajeel's scowl grew darker as he snatched the bag from where it sat in front of the barmaid who smiled innocently. He stood up from his seat and without a word, turned to leave.

As Gajeel set one foot out the door, he heard Mira giggle and say, "It's so cute how he's so concerned for her."

Gajeel forced his legs to keep moving forward and ignored the sound of agreement coming from his cat as he stepped outside.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Levy groaned in discomfort as she laid in bed, cocooned in a heap of blankets and pillows. She was curled up in a little ball, arms wrapped around her stomach which felt like sharp knives were picking on her insides.

Levy had tried everything to relieve the pain. She had never felt stomach pains this bad, she could barely get herself up for a shower this morning. Not even sitting in the warmth of her bed and rereading one of her favorite novels had helped take her mind off the aching. Finally, she had given up and ended up sulking in her own misery.

Yesterday had been the exact same as well. Mira had offered to take care of her for the day but Levy politely declined, she didn't want anyone else to suffer along with her.

The loud slamming of her window momentarily distracted Levy and she sat up with a shriek. Her panic quickly faded into confusion as she watched Gajeel struggle to fit his large body through her window.

"What are you doing here?" She exclaimed. Levy was suddenly aware of how she hadn't bothered to comb through her hair this morning, resulting in the current bird nest on top of her head and the fact that she was wearing an oversized, old t-shirt as some sort of night gown. Levy now had newfound sympathy for what Lucy must feel like on a daily basis with everyone barging in.

Gajeel noticed her appearance as he finally managed to fit through her window. "You look like a mess."

"Thanks for the comforting words that every girl wants to be greeted with," Levy said sarcastically. "Now, you haven't answered my question."

"The barmaid made you soup," he replied.

"Oh, well that was nice of her." Levy's face contorted back into a look of discomfort as she felt the knives in her stomach once again.

She watched as he nonchalantly walked over to her kitchen and untied the bag to reveal a plastic container with brown liquid inside. He popped the lid off, setting free the white tendrils of steam.

"Where're the spoons?" he grumbled.

"Top left drawer."

Gajeel rummaged until he had a silver spoon in hand and he dropped it in the broth. He walked over to the side of her bed, dragging a chair behind him in one hand and carrying the broth in the other.

He placed the container on her nightstand and plopped on the chair beside her. Gajeel eyed the over flowing trash can of chocolate candy wrappers that eventually ended up scattered over her bed and he raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong with you?"

"I'm not feeling well," she carefully answered. Levy still had her arms clamped firmly around her stomach and made no move to eat her soup.

Gajeel sighed and reached for the container and gently placed it on her lap. "Eat it while it's warm."

Levy started to protest but when she caught the serious look on his face, she swallowed her words. Reluctantly, she brought a spoonful of the brown broth to her lips and took a sip. The soup made a warm path through her body and pooled in her stomach, slightly soothing the pain.

"Thank you," she eventually said after several mouthfuls. "For bringing me the soup."

Gajeel grunted something unintelligible and Levy took it as a "You're welcome." Levy glanced out of the corner of her eye, looking at how he slouched in the chair with his arms crossed over his chest.

"You don't have to stay here," she said softly.

"Got nothin' better to do," he grunted and Levy took it as him saying no which she felt strangely pleased to hear.

She silently drank the rest of her soup and set the container back on her nightstand. Levy's mind went blank as she tried to think of what to say now.

"Oi, you got any water?"

"Yeah, the glasses are over there." Levy pointed across the room. "You can fill it in the bathroom."

Gajeel grabbed a glass and headed to the bathroom, opening the door. He stepped in on the tile floors and froze. The smell was faint but it was definitely there. He sniffed the air again to confirm. _This is definitely the scent of blood_, he thought to himself. Anger suddenly consumed his mind and common sense as he turned to look at Levy with an alarmed face.

She returned his look with a look of utter confusion. "What-?"

"Who?" He demanded, anger thick in his voice. "Who made you bleed?"

The empty glass Gajeel had clutched in his hand cracked and broke into shards under pressure as his hands turned into fists at his sides.

Levy sat silent on the bed, still confused about the sudden change of mood. It took her a few seconds to realize what had caused Gajeel to become so furious all of sudden.

_Stupid dragon slayer senses_. Levy internally groaned at the conversation they were about to have.

"It's nothi-" she started to say but Gajeel cut her off again.

"Where are you hurt?"

"I'm n-"

"Stay here, I'll go get the kid to heal you."

"Gajeel, _stop_," she said firmly. "It's not something Wendy can heal."

Gajeel looked at the bluenette in confusion. "What?"

Levy's face turned the color of Erza's hair in embarrassment. "I'm not hurt."

"Then why do you keep holding your stomach as if-"

"Because it's cramping!" Levy had no idea that there was a deeper red than Erza's hair but the current blush on her face proved that there was.

"I smelled blood in the bathroom," Gajeel stated, still confused about the way Levy was acting.

"Please don't make me explain." Gajeel watched her red face and her eyes that avoided looking at him.

He thought to himself, stomach cramps, all the chocolate wrappers, blood, not something the kid can heal…

_Oh._

Gajeel's face matched the same color as Levy's as the realization dawned on him but soon the embarrassment turned into annoyance. "Why didn't you just tell me?"

"It's embarrassing," she muttered as her eyes glued to her hands.

Gajeel snorted. "I was about ready to kill someone, don't ever scare me like that again."

His tone turned serious on the last few words and his red eyes fixed on hers.

"Sorry…" Levy sheepishly mumbled.

"Don't worry about it, Shorty." Gajeel chuckled. He walked back to the side of her bed and threw a blanket up to her shoulders. "Go to sleep."

Levy laid back down on her heap of pillows and watched his back retreat to the open window to jump out. The knives in her stomach were long forgotten and she succumbed to the warmth of her blankets, letting her eyelids drop until all she saw was darkness.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

"How is she?" Lily asked upon Gajeel's arrival at the guild.

"Fine."

"Where are you going?" Lily asked as he saw Gajeel turn to leave once he had his duffel slung over his shoulder.

"I gotta go get somethin'," was all the iron dragon slayer said as the doors shut behind him.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Levy woke a few hours later, feeling loads better than she had before. Mira's cooking really did wonders. Levy shifted until her feet were hanging off the edge of the bed, she needed to freshen up and get the bad taste out of her mouth.

When the bluenette stood up, she caught a silver color out of the corner of her eye. Laying on her nightstand was a square box made entirely out of iron. Carefully, Levy lifted the cover and smiled at the neatly arranged assortment of chocolates inside.

* * *

Because deep down Gajeel is a huge worry-wart, especially when it comes to Levy. I start school in three days so updating will probably take longer than usual, not that I really have a schedule for updates but I'm afraid I won't be posting as often because school sucks. Reviews are welcome!


	7. Chapter 7: Shopping

Shopping

Gajeel let out an annoyed sigh as he slouched deeper into the cushions of the sofa he was sitting in. He was more bored than he had been when he watched the lame excuse for a horror movie at Erza's several weeks ago. The only reason he had been present at Erza's little get together was the same reason why he was in his current situation now and that reason was a certain height challenged bookworm with blue hair.

Gajeel glared at the closed door in front of him, as if it was the door's fault that he was stuck in his current predicament. A series of creative swear words and insults filled his mind as Gajeel thought of whose fault it really was. He didn't blame the Shrimp, she didn't drag him along to the most boring trip he had ever been on. Instead, he blamed his devious cat and that meddling barmaid.

According to Lily and Mirajane, a _good_ boyfriend was required to accompany his girl while shopping and compliment her in everything that she put on. Of course when the iron dragon slayer heard that, he rolled his eyes and called it, "total bullshit." He never really took that much notice in Levy's clothing. Most of the time, he usually noticed her lack of clothing and how it tempted unwanted eyes into dangerous territory. Gajeel had even told Levy that she could be wearing grandma clothes and it wouldn't have changed his opinion about her. And when she had questioned what exactly his opinion about her was, he only gave her a mischievous grin.

But of course the pink-haired idiot had to happily agree to accompany the bunny girl and Gajeel couldn't just let Natsu one up him even if it was about something as pointless as shopping. Which was how Gajeel had ended up sitting on the couch facing the single dressing room the girls were all stuffed in.

Natsu was all the way across the store, seemingly arguing with Gray about who would look better in a dress. _Tch, only those two idiots would argue about something as girly as dresses._ The stripper had been dragged along by Juvia against his will, not that Gray actually made an effort to protest too much.

Gajeel fought a yawn, peering at the clock, he guessed that they had been here for approximately three hours. And that wasn't counting the previous stores that they had visited. He had learned that yelling impatient words at the girls only resulted in them taking even longer to decide what they wanted. His eyes traveled down to the gap between the door and the floor, which exposed a pile of discarded clothes and three pairs of bare feet.

Unable to help himself, Gajeel's eyelids began to droop as the minutes passed by and sleep claimed him before he could protest.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Levy looked at her reflection in the full length mirror planted on the opposite wall. Her mouth twisted into an unsatisfied frown at the sight of herself donned in a loose dress that didn't flatter her shape at all. In the piece of clothing, Levy looked like a shapeless blob and she sighed.

"The color is too plain," Lucy determined and Juvia nodded in agreement.

"This is the twenty-eighth dress I've tried on," Levy said in exasperation. The girls have been in the same store for hours now and Levy hasn't found a single dress that she liked. Almost everything Lucy and Juvia tried on suited their curvaceous figure but that wasn't the case for Levy.

"Maybe we should just go," Levy suggested in a defeated tone. "The guys are probably getting bored too."

Lucy got up from the chair, cracked the door open, and peeked outside.

Turning around and closing the door behind her, Lucy rolled her eyes. "Gray and Natsu are arguing about something and seems like Gajeel dozed off."

"Juvia is sure that Levy will find something she likes," the water mage encouraged.

"I've already looked at nearly everything," Levy protested.

"Don't you want to impress your man, Levy?" Lucy quirked an eyebrow suggestively.

Levy flushed at her friend's words. "Clothes don't impress him, he even told me."

"Maybe not clothes…" Lucy furthered teased. "I'm pretty sure there's a lingerie section."

"Lu-chan, stop!" Levy's face seemed to glow beet red and Lucy giggled.

"Okay, okay," Lucy managed to stifle her giggles. "I know someone who will know what to do."

Levy gave Lucy a questioning look as the blonde reached for something on her belt.

"Gate of the Maiden, I open thee! Virgo," Lucy chanted the familiar words with the golden key in her fingers.

Virgo appeared in a flash of light from the ground as her master summoned her. "Is it time for punishment, Princess?"

Lucy sighed.

"No, Levy here needs a pretty dress," Lucy explained and then added in a whisper, "and it doesn't have to cover everything."

"Lu-chan, I heard that!"

"As you wish, Princess." Virgo disappeared for a few moments and reappeared with a small stack of clothes in her arms.

"Thank you, Virgo," the stellar spirit mage said and dismissed her spirit.

Lucy hung the clothes Virgo had chosen and set the matching sets of shoes and accessories with their respective outfits. Levy eyed the outfits, they did seem like her size, unlike the clothes the store carried, but most of the outfits were a little too scandalous for Levy's taste.

Lucy laughed as she laid out the black leotard and tights with matching bunny ears. "You should put this on. You know how much he loves that bunny costume."

"Not in a million years. I'll never hear the end of it." Levy cringed at the thought.

"Juvia thinks Levy will look so good in this one." Levy thought the other bluenette had been talking about the bunny suit but Juvia had a finger pointed at an outfit hanging on the wall. Levy's eyes followed the direction of Juvia's outstretched finger and found a pastel pink dress that resembled the orange one that Levy wore on a regular basis but much more frilly.

Lucy caught the solid script mage's gaze and her face lit up. "_Oh_, definitely that one!"

"Fine, but this is the last one," Levy conceded. She had to admit, the dress seemed like something that would be on a mannequin for display and something she would never be able to afford if it had been for sale.

Levy slipped the dress over her head and was surprised at the comfy fit. She turn towards the mirror and stared at the person looking back at her. The white halter-like straps were soft as silk along with the big, lacy bow in the middle of her chest. The soft cloth hugged her waist but loosened at her hips and the layers hung just above the middle of her thigh.

"It's _perfect_," Levy whispered and her friends nodded behind her.

"Here, put these on." Lucy handed her a pair of white sandals and a headband that was the same pastel color as the dress. Levy accepted the items with a quiet thanks and slipped them on.

"You look amazing, Levy." Lucy smiled at her friend. The blonde needed to remember to get more clothes from Virgo the next time she decided to go shopping.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Gajeel woke from his light nap at the sound of the door creaking open when Juvia and Lucy emerged from the dressing room.

"About damn time," Gajeel muttered under his breath.

Lucy ignored the iron dragon slayer and instead turned towards Natsu with a look of pure annoyance. "Hey you two, stop fighting over the dress or its going to rip!"

"Gray-sama would look so good in a dress!" Juvia's expression turned dreamy as she disappeared into another fantasy. Lucy grabbed her hand and dragged the dazed woman across the store to stop Gray and Natsu from damaging anything. Gajeel rolled his eyes at the ridiculous scene. _Only Fairy Tail. _

"Oi, Shorty, let's g-!" Gajeel's breath hitched in his throat and he found himself incapable of speech. He stared at the girl standing shyly in front of the door, taking in the slender legs and small curves. Levy's cheeks turned rosy at his wandering eyes and the smirk that had formed on his lips.

"Damn."

Levy smiled shyly. "Do you li-?"

Before Levy could finish her sentence, Gajeel had stood up and closed the distance between them with three quick strides. His arm reached behind her and wound around her waist. With his other hand, he cupped her cheek and gently tilted her head up until he could plant a firm kiss on her lips.

Levy slowly rose onto the tips of her toes and sighed against him, sinking into his warmth. Her hands found their way into his hair and pulled him closer, kissing back with equal passion.

Minutes later, their lips reluctantly separated before they attracted too much attention.

Gajeel smirked. "Does that answer your question?"

Levy laughed. "No, I was going to ask if it made my butt look big."

"Lemme check." Gajeel looked down behind her.

"I'm kidding!" Levy exclaimed and smacked his chest.

Gajeel let out his famous laugh at her red-faced reaction and swooped her off her feet in one swift motion, causing Levy to squeak in surprise. Her arms automatically gripped his shoulders to steady herself as she sat in his arms. Levy felt a sneaky hand slide onto her bum and more blood rushed to her cheeks.

Gajeel had a fanged grin firm on his face as he walked out the store with Levy situated in his arms, not bothering to wait for the rest of their friends. Maybe the boredom that came with shopping was bearable if this was the result.

* * *

So this is the first chapter that I wrote in Book of Iron and Paper so far that shows Gajeel and Levy as an official couple, let me know how I did! Also, I forgot to mention this at the beginning of this fanfic, but all the stories/chapters are individual pieces yet they can still be loosely connected (for example, the reference to chapter 4 at the beginning of this story). Therefore, Book of Iron and Paper does not have to be read in numerical order of the chapters. If you're not digging a certain chapter, then go ahead a move on to the next one and I would be curious to know what it was that you didn't like so go ahead and tell me.

This is probably the third time I've said this, but constructive criticism is always welcome. I am still a young writer and I don't have as much experience as I would like. I hope my writing does improve as Book of Iron and Paper progresses and once again I appreciate all the favorites, follows, and reviews!


	8. Chapter 8: Serenity

Serenity

The air held a rare silence. A silence made of the occasional turn of a page, the click of two metal pieces, the light hum of satisfaction, and the million drops of rain playing drums on the roof. Some nights were spent partying, other nights were spent snuggled under a blanket, but tonight was a one of the many nights where the trio spent their evening hours enjoying each other's mere presence.

Levy was planted in the corner of the sofa with a hard cover balanced on the arm of the couch. Her stare was fixed on the open book resting in front of her, lost in a fictitious world created by ink on paper. Once the bookworm was sucked into a story, there was no getting out.

Lily hummed lightly to the pounding of the rainfall, his small paws carefully worked with the cloth as he continually polished his full-sized Musica Sword. The sword almost glowed in the golden candlelight, much to the Exceed's satisfaction as he persistently cleaned off minuscule specks of dust on the blade that only seemed to be visible to Lily's eyes.

Behind a table piled high with bits and pieces of metal was Gajeel. The dragon slayer fiddled and tinkered with the metal scraps he had accumulated over the years, thanks to his tendency to hoard things. His fingers moved deftly with the pieces, fitting and connecting small parts with a skilled accuracy that no one would have guessed his big hands were capable of. This activity could keep him occupied for hours, the iron dragon slayer did have an unsurprising knack for metallic objects. His hands moved on their own, working the metal until it was made into something unless Gajeel decided to pop a piece in his mouth as a mini snack.

Nights like this became a weekly routine for the three mages. It would start when Levy knocked on the door at dinner time with stacked boxes of home cooked food, a good break from cheap restaurant take-out for the two males who never bothered to work on their culinary skills. The three would then precede to eat their dinner around Gajeel's poor excuse for a dinner table, making light conversation and jokes as they ate. After dinner, the trio would settle into their respective spaces, Levy on the couch, Gajeel at the table, and Lily on the kitchen counter.

The silence would ensue but it wasn't the type of silence that left an awkward sensation floating around. It was a comfortable silence that brought feelings of calm, peace, and pure serenity.

As the night wore on with sounds of the relentless rain, eyelids would start to droop and mouths would start to yawn. That was when Gajeel would get up from his spot and blow out all the candles around the room, excluding the ones beside Levy. The iron dragon slayer would then walk himself towards his bookworm, and Levy would take that as a silent signal to readjust her legs until her feet rested on the coffee table so her lap acted as a pillow for Gajeel as he sprawled on his back across the length of the couch with his head on her lap. He would grunt a "goodnight" before his eyes would close and the steady rhythm of his breathing replaced the earlier sounds of metal against metal.

Later on, Levy would feel a furry creature crawl into the space between her ankles and knees. Lily would curl into a little ball with his tail dangling off the edge before he closed his eyes to sleep.

Levy would pause her reading for a moment when she was sure both Gajeel and Lily were fully asleep. The bluenette looked at the two sleeping faces that used her as human pillow and she had let out a small, quiet laugh before she resumed her reading. Little things like this were always able to warm her heart and bring happiness in her life.

Eventually, she too would give in to her fatigue and doze off into a peaceful slumber.

* * *

This is a short one but I hope it was still enjoyable! I've had the idea for awhile now of how the three of them would spend their time together at Gajeel/Lily's place. I was able to update pretty soon since I wasn't given too much homework during the first week of school but I suspect longer stories will take longer time so please be patient.

Thank you for all the reviews! It really warms my heart when other people enjoy my work.


	9. Chapter 9: Wait

Wait

They stood right outside the guild, facing each other. The cobblestone streets were deserted of its usual liveliness, as if the whole town of Magnolia could sense the heavy gloom in the air that day. The sun was on its way to setting, casting a warm, orange glow on the town as it said goodbye.

Neither of them uttered a single word, and for a long time, neither of them planned to. There was nothing to say that the two didn't already know. They stood inches apart and fixed each other with a leveled stare, red eyes meeting brown.

They knew this moment was going to come and they had waited for it. Levy had sat silently in the corner when Natsu had slapped Gajeel on the back and told him to kick ass, when Erza had given him a nod of approval, and when the master stared at him with eyes full of pride.

When the time had come, the guild pretended not to notice when the couple walked out the door. Pantherlily announced that he was going to get a head start and the Exceed had left the pair alone.

And now it was just them and the ongoing silence.

Slowly, he lifted an arm up until his hand was at her cheek, and he pressed his palm against it. His thumb made a half circle as he caressed the smooth skin and the gesture soothed her. Her own hand found its way up and covered his, holding it firmly against her cheek.

She closed her eyes and nuzzled his palm, with a small smile tugging at her lips. He took a slow step forward, closing off the space that was between them. His other arm curled around her back and gently pulled her forward until they were pushed against each other.

Levy opened her eyes and reached up with her other hand until her fingers brushed his jawline. She rose onto her toes and kissed him. Her lips were feather-light but the kiss spoke a million emotions. His lips responded with the same gentle treatment, soft, tender, warm.

Neither of them knew how long they stayed like that but eventually they broke apart without opening any distance between them.

"Levy."

His voice was thick with emotion that his face hid well and she let the sound of his gruff voice saying her name echo in her mind.

"Gajeel."

Her voice was soft, barely above a whisper, only quiet enough for him to hear.

"I'm coming back."

"I know."

And she smiled. The kind of smile that made the corners of her eyes crinkle, his heart flutter, and the entire world stop spinning.

And he swore to himself, he was coming back for that smile.

**Three Weeks**

Fairy Tail continued its wild ways, partying, betting, and joking. Levy laughed along with them like she always did. Gajeel's absence had left an empty hole, but she kept herself from worrying. He was more than capable of taking care of himself, plus he had Lily watching his back.

She spent most of her time with her guild, and if she wasn't there, she could be found with Lucy behind a mountain of books with her red glasses sitting on the bridge of her nose.

She was happy.

**Two Months**

Her lips broke into a smile as she read the messy handwriting. Grasped in her hands was a flimsy piece of paper, covered in scrawls of bad penmanship. On her nightstand was an empty envelope, hastily ripped with eagerness. She read the letter over and over again, as if it was her favorite novel.

Bringing the single piece of paper up to her nose, she inhaled and sighed. The smell of old paper mixed with ink and the hint of the familiar iron scent. Her favorite.

That letter would remain planted on her nightstand where she could see it, along with the envelope with no return address.

**Three Months**

Levy was a patient person.

She knew why he had to go and why he wanted to, even if it meant leaving with an uncertain return date. She supported him all the way through making the decision and departing.

This wasn't just some job he was taking. She knew he wouldn't leave for so long just to earn big money. He had his own reasons and she didn't pry. This was something he had to do and she understood.

And she would wait for him.

**Five Months**

She had been visiting his house several times a week. Keeping the place clean and throwing out the old food before it started to smell up the place.

After tidying up the around, she would settle in her usual corner in the sofa and pull out a book. She lit candles to provide her with light even though the electricity worked just fine in the dry weather.

She remembered Gajeel mumbling about wasting electricity and she laughed to herself.

Often times, she would read slower than usual and reread books she already finished hours earlier just to pass enough time until it got dark so she could invent an excuse to stay the night in the empty house.

**Seven Months**

Levy had started to frequent the guild less, and whenever she did show up, her usual bright attitude was turned down to the lowest. She tried not to worry, but she did. His monthly letters were the only things she looked forward to, even though they were always vague about where his location was. They were the only things that granted her at least a few hours of sleep at night.

They were the only things that reminded her that he was safe and alive.

**Eight Months**

The letters had stopped coming.

And Levy had stopped smiling.

**Nine Months**

Levy laid in bed, and stared blankly at her dark window. She couldn't stop herself from replaying scenarios in her head of him climbing through the window, and breaking it somehow in the process.

The small pile of opened letters dominated her nightstand, protected by the iron box meant for chocolates. They remained untouched, as if they would crumble to ash even with the gentlest care.

She squeezed the oversized, blue teddy bear trapped in her arms, burying her face in the fuzzy fur.

The wind whistled outside and she wondered if he could feel the weather too. And if he could hear the whispers the wind seemed to carry as they blew by like she did.

_Come back._

**Eleven Months**

Winter came as it was, without the hyped up descriptions of fluffy white snow and Santa Claus coming down chimneys. Winter came as the reality: bitter and cold.

She spent Halloween cooped up in her own home, in no mood to dress up in a funky costume.

She had only bothered to show up at the guild on Christmas day for the sake of her friends. They needed to see that she was okay to a certain extent, even though she was nowhere near okay.

**One Year**

She was in his bed, under the single thin blanket that he had. She hadn't known how little heat the material provided, mainly because he was always here to keep her warm.

Her head was on his pillow which only held a faint scent that used to be strong. It was freezing in his house, but she didn't feel the cold, she was completely numb.

But to her, numb was better than feeling.

**One Year, One Month**

She was hurting, breaking, fading…

And Levy knew this. She was in the middle of his bed, knees hugged into her chest, face buried out of sight.

She was aching with such a pain she had never known before. No physical agony could ever compare to the relentless squeezing in her chest.

It had been like that for days now, the hurting wouldn't stop. It refused to be numbed. The room was dark, cold, and quiet, she thought it suited her mood perfectly.

It started off silent, but slowly it became the only sound audible in the entire house.

She cried, and cried, and cried.

The hot tears burned paths down her cheeks and blurred her vision. Her chest desperately searched for air, but no matter how much oxygen got into her lungs, she felt as if she was suffocating.

_I'm coming back._

Those three words were the last glint of hope left in her.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/

He sprinted faster than his legs wanted to allow, and the pain throbbed with the exertion. He had a broken bone, bleeding cuts, close to zero energy left, but he couldn't stop, he didn't allow himself to stop.

He had to carry Lily back, the Exceed had collapsed from exhaustion and loss of magic power. The moment he had dropped his partner off at the guild, he took off with newfound energy he didn't know he still had left.

His bones protested, muscles screamed, and his lungs were scorched but he didn't stop. He couldn't stop. Not until he saw her. The bunny girl had informed him that she wasn't in her dorm when she went to check on her, and that only left one place.

Everything passed in a blur, his vision was only fixed on the house in front of him. He smelled the saltiness of tears before he could even put a hand on the knob. All the pain caught up with him once he slowed to a stop and he almost keeled over, but he wouldn't let himself. No, not yet.

He heard her sobs, and it twisted his heart. It was the sound of pure agony and he knew he was the one who caused it.

Not wasting a second, he burst through the bedroom door, almost breaking the hinges. There she was, huddled in the middle of the bed.

Her blood-shot eyes could only make out his shape before he was beside her, gathering her in his lap. Her arms shot out and wrapped around him, breathing in the familiar scent she had missed so much.

"I-I…m-missed you…s-so…so…" she sniffled and stutter, slowly coming out of the shock she was in.

"I know," Gajeel's deep voice whispered into her hair. "I'm sorry."

Levy continued to sniffle into his shirt, while he continuously muttered apologies for making her hurt. Her mind barely functioned properly, he was here, he was safe, and he was alive.

That night, Gajeel Redfox swore he would never ever hear her cry like that again.

* * *

Wow, this is a sad one. I specifically avoided explaining exactly why Gajeel had left, but it was definitely something he had to do, so I'll let you readers make your own conclusion.

Like it? Hate it? Please review!


	10. Chapter 10: Wedding Day

Wedding Day

Their wedding didn't exactly have good timing. It was a choice that had caught everyone off guard, including the newly engaged couple. A wedding was the last thing the guild had expected in their current circumstances, but they were happy for the couple nonetheless. And of course Fairy Tail, being Fairy Tail, had to throw a celebration even if the state of the guild wasn't in the best shape.

That special day had lifted everyone's spirits, it was a reminder that happiness could still be achieved in the empty years. Their wedding was small and simple, not nearly enough guests to fill the guild, but it was the most important day of their life. One day of joy in the years of sadness.

Although the couple was happy from the mere thought of marriage, there was one important thing that wasn't there on their wedding day that had dampened the joy in the air. That important thing was what made the guild Fairy Tail. More than half the members had been missing for years, carving a void in the guild that seemed impossible to fill. The wedding had made the empty hole seem a little smaller, but the celebration wasn't the same without the rest of their family.

Which is exactly why Bisca and Alzack had agreed to recreate their wedding day now that the rest of Fairy Tail had finally returned after seven long years. The already married couple wanted to share the happiness of that day with the people they held dear that couldn't make it the first time.

The guild had cheered at the news, announcing an immediate party had to take place. Cana had threw out the suggestion of having a bachelorette party for Bisca, which the gunner had immediately refused with a blush of embarrassment, claiming that she was already a married woman with a child.

One week had passed by after their engagement party, and thanks to Mirajane's amazing planning skills, the guild was transformed to look like a traditional church for the wedding, with long drapes of silk along the walls and flowers lining the aisle. All members of Fairy Tail's guild were present on that day, adding the cheerfulness and laughter that hadn't been prominently present before.

Once again the wedding was kept small and simple upon Bisca's insistence and Mirajane's disappointment. The couple had clearly stated that all they wanted was for the whole guild to share the experience without having to make a huge deal out of all the preparations and Mira had for once conceded, after all it was their wedding.

That morning was a bundle of excitement and cheerfulness, especially for the couple that was about to relive the happiest day of their life with their family.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Gajeel Redfox had never thought he would find himself at a wedding.

Sure, he could find himself at wild parties and maybe even the occasional festival but weddings weren't even something that ever crossed his mind, much less something he would actually go to.

But Fairy Tail had grown on him, whether he liked it or not, making him a part of that empty hole during those seven years as much as anyone else that had been gone. Not even Gajeel would dare spoil the happy smiles on everyone's faces by not showing up, even though he did doubt they would notice his absence.

After hours of convincing from his dangerously persuasive cat, Gajeel found himself standing in front of the guild, waiting to walk in as a groomsman. Erza had firmly instructed for Gajeel, Gray, and Natsu to stand with at least three people between them, the redhead had stated she would not tolerate any fighting during the ceremony with a dangerous glint in her eyes that had the boys franticly nodding their heads in understanding.

Finally, the time had finally came where the music of the violins had started to play, signifying their cue to file down the aisle. Natsu and Lucy entered first, with an overjoyed Happy linked paw to paw with an annoyed-looking Charle behind them. Following behind, Gajeel stepped onto the velvety red carpet, arm hooked with Levy's. He glanced down at the bluenette beside him as they walked down the aisle, she had a smile on her face, the bright smile she could so easily plant on her lips and make the warm feeling worm into his stomach.

Once the pair had reached the altar, they reluctantly went their separate ways. Levy lined up beside Lucy and Gajeel stood a good distance from Natsu, Erza's warning still fresh in his mind. Once all the bridesmaids and groomsmen had made it to their places, Asuka happily skipped down the runner, tossing flower pedals out of a basket along the way. Pantherlily struggled to keep pace with the girl in his smaller form, and Gajeel couldn't help but let out a small snort.

After those two had completed the stretch of the aisle, Gajeel felt the whole room go dead silent, save for the music. Out of the corner of his eye, Gajeel saw Alzack stand up straighter in his white suit and caught the faint scent of nervous sweat emitting from him. Gajeel fought the urge to roll his eyes, the man had already done this for god's sake.

Gajeel's eyes travelled from the groom to Bisca, slowly walking towards the man she was already married to. Master Makarov escorted her down the red aisle, or in other words, walked beside her because of their height difference. Alzack's tension immediately fled when he saw his bride for the second time walking towards him, a small smile formed on his lips and he only had eyes for her.

Bisca mirrored her husband's expression, her eyes shined with a million things and they both stared at each other with a look that only two people who were helplessly in love could display.

Gajeel tuned out the words the preacher was speaking, his full attention was directed somewhere else. His eyes had skimmed the line of bridesmaids until he picked out Levy. Levy stood watching the already married couple getting married again, fully attentive to the ceremony unlike he was. She wore a simple pale, green dress that was identical to the rest of the bridesmaids, but she stood out in his eyes.

Her attention broke for a second and she met his stare with a pinkish color tinting her cheeks and her eyes quickly darted away. Gajeel's lips tugged into a small smirk at her reaction, the bluenette never ceased to amuse him.

Maybe it was the location, the event, or the ongoing talking of the preacher, but Gajeel found himself wondering if he would ever see Levy again, possibly in a church similar to the one they were currently in but in different circumstances. Instead of bridesmaid and groomsman, they would be-

Gajeel snapped back into reality, putting a stop to his increasingly exciting imagination. But he did admit to himself, if he ever had to stand at the end of that aisle, there was only one person he wanted to see walk towards him wearing a white dress.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Levy stared at the scene in front of her, it reminded her of the scenes she repeatedly read in her collection of corny romance novels. Much like every other girl, Levy had spent one point in her life dreaming about her wedding. Although that doesn't happen often, Levy found herself thinking about that now as she watched Bisca and Alzack get married for the second time.

Levy didn't know if she was going to get married, if she would find the one, but she did know if she was going to marry a man, he would definitely have the same gooey look Alzack's face had morphed into on their wedding day.

Without any warning, her mind conjured up a ridiculous picture of that gooey expression on a certain iron dragon slayer's face. Levy blinked in surprise, why had she thought of Gajeel? If anything, he would be the last person who would have that silly lovesick expression on his face. Levy contained a laugh as she tried to picture him again with that completely out of character look, as if he was a lovesick schoolgirl staring at her crush.

Levy's eyes wandered in the groomsmen direction, and stole a glance at Gajeel, expecting the non-sentimental dragon slayer to be half asleep. What she didn't expect, was for Gajeel to be looking directly at her with an expression as if he was thinking intently about something. Warmth rose to her cheeks and her eyes quickly escaped his stare, but not before she caught sight of the cocky smirk that had formed on his lips.

Levy mentally rolled her eyes in annoyance, _even when we're across the room, he manages to tease me. _Her memory of his smirk and unwavering stare did nothing to calm the thoughts she was having moments earlier. Maybe she really should cool off on the romance novels, it was driving her nuts.

Carefully this time, Levy snuck a peek at Gajeel, making sure it didn't look like she was trying to look at him. Like all the other groomsmen, he had a clean white shirt tucked into dark pants, but unlike the rest of the groomsmen, the dragon slayer stuck with his usual footwear of black boots with pants tucked in. Although it was an interesting choice of an outfit (which Levy figured Lily probably forced him into) he certainly didn't look bad.

Levy flashbacked to minutes earlier when she walked down the aisle with her arm linked to Gajeel's. She had been happy, a little persistent butterfly of joy kept poking her stomach.

A small part of her thought about the next time she walked down the aisle, and whether the iron dragon slayer would be walking besides her, waiting for her, or seated among the guests. The second option appealed more than the others but she cast the thoughts aside into a category of things that would never happen. She was definitely not going to get married anytime soon.

/\/\/\/\/\/

Pantherlily had been the only one watching the strange couple staring at each other for the entire ceremony. The cat smiled to himself, those two were too oblivious to the facts for their own good. One important fact being the look they gave each other was the exact same one Bisca and Alzack used.

* * *

Haha, hope you weren't too disappointed when you found out Levy and Gajeel weren't actually going to get married in this one. Thought I would write something happy after the last chapter. This was an idea that popped into my head a few hours ago, and I finished about four hours later. I need to work on not rushing to post chapters so I can look at them the next day and correct mistakes I overlooked but my schedule is packed this week and I have no clue when I'm going to be able to get back on my computer so please excuse any mistakes, this one was sort of rushed.

I don't know when I'll be posting again, I'm experiencing some writer's block at the moment. If you have an suggestions/ideas you want to share, you're welcome to let me know. And if I like the idea, I'll try to make a story out of it (crediting whoever came up with the idea of course).

Thank you guys so much, whether you followed or favorited or reviewed! All the reviews really encourage me to continue!

PS: Can you imagine how cute Lily would be in a tux. Ugh.


	11. Chapter 11: Motion Sickness

Motion Sickness

The booming sound of thunder roared overhead and bounced off the walls of the train station, sending a terrified shudder down Pantherlily's spine. The small Exceed clamped his paws over his ears, flattening them against his skull in hopes of muffling the noise. He stood frozen in a dead stop except for the small shivers that shook his body. The cat no longer gave off an aura of power or intimidation as he did hours earlier when he was faced with a group of mischievous bandits, now he only looked like a small kitty cowering beneath the bellowing sky.

Standing beside him was Gajeel, a hulk among the sea of gathered travelers, all taking shelter under the same roof from the oncoming downpour. The area was crowded, barely enough room to breathe, but thanks to Gajeel's piercing glares and unfriendly vibe, no one had dared enter the little invisible bubble that separated him and the rest of the crowd. No one except for his loyal partner and a small bookworm.

Levy had become accustomed to the dragon slayer's presence, although it wasn't a warm, bright ray of sunshine like her own (in fact, it was quite the opposite) she learned that under all the threatening glares and layers of annoyance, he must at least have a small urge to stay. Gajeel was entirely capable of leaving without a second thought, but he never did, no matter how unsatisfied he pretended to be. Somehow, the thought made Levy happy, even though she was unsure of why he stayed, but a part of her that she didn't understand was pleased about the fact that he just _did_.

Then again, it was only after hours of arguing had she been able to convince him to take the train back to Magnolia instead of spending days on foot making the trek back home in the midst of a thunderstorm. After Gajeel's severe motion sickness had developed, he would firmly refuse transportation of any kind, never wanting to experience the dreadful sickness that roiled in his stomach ever again. But of course, Levy had out-stubborned him this time in a way that only Levy McGarden could, with some help from the occasional puppy dog eyes. Hours later they had ended up stuffed onto the waiting platform along with what seemed like hundreds of other people. The trio looked like the most odd group of travelers there, with the brooding presence of Gajeel, a frightened cat, and a little bluenette, which only earned them a few stares that were quickly directed another way once Gajeel sent them a venomous scowl.

Gajeel grunted then, a small noise of irritation and anger. "Been too damn long, we could've gotten halfway home by now."

Levy sighed at his unwavering impatience. "The train isn't even late, Gajeel, it's supposed to be here in a couple of minutes."

She knew her words wouldn't reassure him in the least but she continued, "We have only been waiting for twenty minutes."

"Twenty minutes too long," the ever so optimistic dragon slayer muttered.

"A few hours on the train beats days walking in the rain," Levy pointed out.

"For _you_," he said almost accusingly.

"You'll manage, unless you really don't think you can do it…" her voice trailed off with a teasing tone that questioned really how much he dreaded the motion sickness.

Gajeel scowled darkly, she knew exactly where to push his buttons. "I ain't afraid to get on some fuckin' train if that's what you're thinkin'."

Levy laughed, earning a glare from the subject of her laughter. "You get so defensive over the littlest things!"

Gajeel's glare morphed into a smirk as he caught an unintended double meaning. "You never complained."

Levy pouted, turning slightly pink as she caught onto what the dragon slayer meant. Lily inwardly sighed as he watched their little exchange, lately the two had been acting like a pair of flirtatious teenagers, or a married old couple, and of course everyone could see it except for the clueless mages beside him. The Exceed knew both Levy and Gajeel at least had a tiny inkling of their feelings for each other, they pretended to be dense, but nobody was denser than Natsu. It was only a matter of time before one of them made a move, whether on accident or not it was inevitable, the entire guild was deep in anticipation and Lily would be lying if he said he wasn't a little impatient for the two to take a hint. Though Gajeel's ways of showing affection weren't exactly ideal-

A clap of thunder echoed through the skies with a white flash and Lily's fur sprang up on its ends.

Gajeel glanced at his cat and snorted. "Pansy."

Levy shot him a glare. "Says the one afraid of riding a train."

"I ain't-!"

"Attention, passengers, the train heading for Magnolia Town has now arrived," A feminine voice sounded over the crowd. "Please board the train once the door opens, the train will be leaving in five minutes."

"Come on, no time to argue," Levy urged as she scooped up a still panicked Lily into an arm and grabbed Gajeel's wrist with her free hand. She weaved through the hoard of people, dragging Gajeel behind her with a firm grip in case he made a run at the last minute. Ignoring the annoyed protests coming from behind her, Levy sought out a suitable cart to settle in. Walking towards the end of the train she chose the last empty compartment available and slid the doors shut once everyone was inside. Letting go of Gajeel's wrist, Levy plopped onto the comfy seat with Lily in her lap. She brightened at the aspect of going home, after days spent sleeping on the ground, her own cozy bed within her fortress of books appealed more and more by the second.

Their job had taken longer than expected, spanning for almost a week rather than a few days, mostly because of her own fault, she had to admit. Levy had dove into the small library of ancient tomes the small village had to offer. While Gajeel and Lily took care of the bandits that terrorized the village, Levy spent the days engrossed in old scrolls and teaching the younger children how to read and write while their mothers took a day of rest.

Outside the train's window, was a forest of trees, blurred by the onslaught of the continuous rain. The thunder boomed once again, sending a shock through Lily.

"I-I'm going to go get a drink of water," the cat stuttered.

"Do you want me to come with?" Levy offered but Lily refused with a shake of his head and franticly exited the compartment. Lily walked down the narrow aisle with his paws covering his ears until he reached the empty bathroom, shutting the door behind him, he climbed onto the sink counter and turned the knob for cold water. After a few splashes of icy water, he deemed himself ready to return. Just as he placed a paw on the doorknob, the thunder rumbled around him, sending the cat into waves of terror and panic, and due to his panicked state, he had somehow managed to break off the handle to the door, _again_.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Gajeel sat a little ways beside the bookworm, arms crossed over his chest, brooding in his own annoyance. Ever since his motion sickness had kicked in, he couldn't as much tolerate being on any from of transportation, minus Lily. Which of course complicated traveling, but he much rather walk in pouring rain than endure hours of headaches and an unstable stomach. Of course, Levy had refused to let him have his way and he knew he wouldn't win that argument anytime soon. He counted down the seconds until the train would depart, dreading the sickness that he knew was coming.

"It'll only be a few hours," Levy said, as if sensing his thoughts.

"I know," he grunted back in which Levy didn't bother to reply, she knew there was no making the experience any less dreadful.

After the last seconds of being at a complete stop passed, the train came to life, slowly edging forward on its track as it gained speed. The effect was immediate, Gajeel's stomach lurched at the movement of the vehicle, and the motion sickness took over, making his head dizzy and his body want to throw up its contents.

Levy tried to ignore the sick dragon slayer beside her, she knew he would be alright once the train stopped. She contemplated bringing out one of her novels to pass the time but then realized she had given them to the children at the village. She decided she would just have to wait out the ride.

"What's taking Lily so l-?" Levy started to wonder out loud but was cut off as the train hit a bump, shaking the cart with more force than Levy thought was safe. The shaking threw an unstable Gajeel sideways and he landed against Levy. The train calmed down, and traveled down the track as if nothing happened.

Levy squeaked with surprise as Gajeel suddenly landed against her, the dragon slayer groaned at the turbulence. His weight kept Levy pressed against the wall of the compartment and she didn't know whether to push him off or-

The sudden press of a nose against the side of her neck made her freeze. Gajeel buried his face into the curve of her neck, nuzzling past the blue strands of hair until he was pressed against the warm skin. Levy sat awkwardly still, with no idea of how to react in a situation like this. Gajeel's actions were puzzling, she had no clue of what he was doing.

Gajeel took a long, deep inhale. Her familiar scent filled his sensitive nose, almost clouding his mind. It wasn't a sickeningly sweet perfume scent that so many females sported, it was a mix of her natural scent, with soap, and a hint of the old papery smell of dusty books. He breathed in again, eyes half open, lips quirking into a small, content smile.

"G-Gajeel?" Levy nervously stuttered, confused by his strange actions.

"Don't move." Gajeel's deep voice was husky, his tone sent a furious warmth into her cheeks and her heartbeat rapidly increased but she kept still as Gajeel extended his arms around her and slowly slid her onto his lap. His arms caged her against him with her side pressed against his stomach.

Gajeel took in steady breaths, focused on the warm body cradled in his arms and the comforting scent soothing his headache. Levy sat in his lap, slowly relaxing into his chest with the silence of the air and rhythmic vibrating of the train. His stomach had stopped doing somersaults and the queasy sensation had left his system and was replaced by another feeling of butterflies.

Gajeel closed his eyes and rested his head in the crook of her neck and shoulder, maybe transportation wouldn't be so bad as long as he had her.

Wordlessly, Levy sunk into his arms, letting herself rest her head on top of his, a silly smile taking over her face. A low sound of satisfaction escaped from Gajeel as Levy ran her fingers through his thick hair.

He should've known, of course she would've been his cure.

"You smell good, Shorty."

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I apologize for the wait until I updated! I haven't had as much time as I would like to work on fanfics but I squeeze in whatever time I get. On top of homework and a small case of writer's block, I can't promise regular updates so please bare with me. Thanks for all the reviews, you guys are really encouraging! Hope you enjoyed this one.


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